• (cs) in reply to Anonymous
    Anonymous:
    WTF#3 Windows doesn't separate the video output from the desktop screen. (X11 _is_ capable of using separate screens and displays. So, it's possible to have one screen output dedicated to TV output, and another screen to controlling the video mixing, etc. Even with only one screen/display, one may still use virtual desktops to avoid having messages displayed on top of video output.)
    The problem is that the hardware used for systems like this usually just re-encodes the VGA output into a TV format* so there is only ever one video buffer being displayed. No way that any software can change that.

    *My guess is that there are cores available to drop into the chip designs used on the video cards

  • dkf (unregistered) in reply to Anonymous
    Anonymous:
    WTF#1 (the root WTF) DST is still in practice in the Western world. WTF#2 Windows keeps time *internally* in localtime, subject to DST adjustments, rather than in UTC.
    Yep, those two are both genuine WTF?!s. Indeed, I've never been able to find anyone who could explain to me why keeping the system clock in localtime was a good idea other than "that's how it is now" cargo-cult idiocy.
    WTF#3 Windows doesn't separate the video output from the desktop screen.
    I understand that it can do just that. But someone was a cheapskate and didn't bother to spend the little bit extra needed. Where have we heard that before?
  • TheRealFoo (unregistered) in reply to Anonymous
    Anonymous:
    WTF#1 (the root WTF) DST is still in practice in the Western world. WTF#2 Windows keeps time *internally* in localtime, subject to DST adjustments, rather than in UTC. WTF#3 Windows doesn't separate the video output from the desktop screen. (X11 _is_ capable of using separate screens and displays. So, it's possible to have one screen output dedicated to TV output, and another screen to controlling the video mixing, etc. Even with only one screen/display, one may still use virtual desktops to avoid having messages displayed on top of video output.)
    Where can I give kudos, credits or a ++ rating for that?

    Points #1 and #2 are general WTF, while the current item is just one instance of standard idiocy ("get the cheapest solution!").

    WTF#2, the windows time implementation has been a mess from the start - recall the MSB being used as a flag bit? And it has hardly gotten better - for every bug they fix, they introduce two new ones. Seems to be their standard practice. "hydra bug fixing".

    WTF#1 is the real one, but there is no simple story or picture to post here.

  • (cs)

    So the real wtf is that his or her remote has no OK button. My has not only the OK, but also the CANCEL and the ANYKEY:

    [image]

    (OK, it's DVD, not TV)

  • s (unregistered) in reply to TheRider
    TheRider:
    I think so, too. Where is the WTF? Just klick the fu...ng button and move on with life.

    Yep. Drive 50 miles to the TV station, break past the security, burst into the server room and click the goddamned button.

  • Nelle (unregistered) in reply to jsbillings
    jsbillings:
    I remember seeing the Guru Meditation error on my local "community" station. Now it's just boring windows.

    I use top work on alocal tv station .. we used Amiga with Scala MM to broadcast static banners ...

    (and play pinball on the machine)

  • (cs) in reply to GrandmasterB
    GrandmasterB:
    Here's what I think is happening. They have a PC that outputs the 'technical difficulties' banner continuously so they can switch to that whenever they need it. They're not using Windows to feed their channel per se - they just have a dedicated pc outputting that one frame so the engineers have *some* feed to switch to when there are problems.

    Actually, those screens generally come from a still store, preprogrammed into the board. In this case, it looks like they were using one of the CG's to put it up (possibly the board was down and they had to route around it). And a lot of CG machines run windows.

    (I was an engineer at a TV station for 4 years...)

  • Tarkeel (unregistered) in reply to Lummox
    Lummox:
    Anthony in Toronto:
    Okay, who else just tried to click the "Ok" button on that picture?

    I'll admit it. I'm a dork.

    The same people that click OK to those fake windows banner ads saying "Click on this windows-style looking alert to make your Internets move faster! [Ok][Cancel]"

    As part of my studies, we had a short meeting with one of the head-honchos of the national TelCo. She was going to impress ut with ordering airline tickets online (ooooh!) and managed to fall for one of their own banner ads in this way. Now that's almost as WTF as punching in your ordering credentials with 6 people looking over your shoulder.

  • (cs) in reply to Anthony in Toronto
    Anthony in Toronto:
    Okay, who else just tried to click the "Ok" button on that picture?
    Um. I thought it was ridiculous until I, without thinking, went up and clicked the OK button AFTER reading your post.

    Not sure if that's better or worse...

  • (cs) in reply to Theo
    Theo:
    Anthony in Toronto:
    Okay, who else just tried to click the "Ok" button on that picture?

    I'll admit it. I'm a dork.

    I have a Cancel button on my wooden table, me too.

    Is it big, circular and red ? Does the light go off when you use it ?

  • Kuba (unregistered) in reply to GettinSadda
    GettinSadda:
    Anonymous:
    WTF#3 Windows doesn't separate the video output from the desktop screen.

    ROTFL. Where have you been the last, oh, 8 years?! Windows 98 SE (at least) had pretty good support for double screens (say an AGP and a PCI adapter, or two PCI adapters), and if your cards were compatible enough (i.e. didn't assume "one card only" in their PCI config space), it worked just fine.

    Heck, the notebook I'm writing it on, an old Compaq Presario 2100, can display the desktop on its built-in screen, and have an extra, dedicated screen area coming out of the VGA Out on the back. I routinely use it for software development: one screen shows the documentation (usually Qt Assistant), the other shows the IDE.

    I've just tried it on an old PII desktop, which has a whooping 3 PCI slots and 2 ISA slots. I've put some two old PCI video cards, the desktop runs WIN98SE, and it "just works".

    Cheers, Kuba

  • (cs)

    A message box on the TV? So what? I've seen worse. Imagine an ATM BSODing right after you pressed 1 0 0 OK, and right before you got your money. Not a pleasant feeling.

  • Matt (unregistered) in reply to freelancer

    I've seen a cash machine when the cash machine software crashes, just sitting on the desktop. Even now, the ones in town with their fancy looking graphics run Windows 95.

  • Jenda (unregistered)

    Yeah! Click the fscking button! Someone! Please! Anyone!

    I used to walk past some bank that had a computer facing the window, apparently supposed to show some presentation or something, and for YEARS it displayed something like "SCANDISK found X unused clusters. Click OK to continue". The message you sometimes get from Win95 after the computer gets forcefully rebooted. For years. I don't believe none of the employees walked to their job along this side of the building, but noone seemed to care. And since I only walked past long after the closing hour I could not even rush in and force them to press the fscking button. Arrrrrgh. That nagging feeling.

  • dan (unregistered) in reply to deice

    the last thing? so Windows for Warships is preferable?

    You Americans and your sacred, above-all-else money. It's so... quaint. (dubya!)

  • zzo38 (unregistered)

    TV schedule: 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced 11:00 PM - To be announced

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